Topical Tropes

These are what we call the 'YMMV items.' Things that some people find in this work. We call them 'your mileage might vary' because not everyone sees these things in the same way. This starts discussions in the trope lists, a thing we don't want. Please use the discussion page if you'd like to discuss any of these items.

Anon commenter: "Ah, AHEW realism... I only read way in the beginning so maybe they fixed this, but did you know that it's totally easy for the Nazis to erase the French language from the world? Just take over a few European countries and bang! No more French!"

Additionally, the authors once implied that in their fic, the Latin American countries "are still Spanish colonies". Except that the fanfic begins in the early 20th entury... and Spanish American Wars of Independencestarted in 1810 and were mostly finished around 1840, with only Puerto Rico and Cuba staying under Spanish rules until 1898. Uhm, even if this is an Alternate Universe, history does NOT work that loosely.

Not to mention, Prussia as the most Nazi between himself and Germany? And staging the Preussenschlag?! Wha --

Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy: The 'verse tends to slide into this. When most (if not every) characters is either an unlikable Jerkass or brutally tortured, readers may not be sure who to root for at all.

Die for Our Ship: More than one Hetalia fan considers the portrayal of the Japan/England couple as bashing. The fact that Puel is a well-known US/UK fanwriter does NOT help the fic's case.

America and England don't have a lovey-dovey relationship in the fic either. It's more that the portrayal of England and Japan's relationship comes off as so OOC and reliant on Ron the Death Eater to some readers (Japan caring about England only as a pawn to further his personal agenda of world domination? Really?) that they wonder if England and Japan were characterized like this mainly to show how horrible and unhealthy England/Japan would be. And, well, the fic's premise being essentially "the world would have gone to hell if England and Japan had maintained their alliance" doesn't exactly help perceptions of that kind.

Internet Backdraft: This is one of the best known APH fics, so it's to be expected. There's NO middle ground on this.

If you don't like it? Either you don't appreciate ~True Art~ (which is always angsty and contrived and what not), you're a butthurt Prussia or England/Japan fangirl who cannot stand their less-than-stellar portrayals, or You're Just Jealous of Mith and/or Puel's "online stardom" so you want to "slander" them.

If you like it? You're a Professional Butt-Kisser who want to look good by liking their stuff, a pompous Jerk Ass who looks down on the average fandom and think you're superior because of your tastes, or you MUST be one of these fans that relentlessly bully those who dislike it.

The authors's very polemic participations on other Hetalia wanks note (re: having them create the tv tropes page for their own fics - which they have admitted in public-; Mith's infamous declarations about fantasizing with the bloody murder of the idiotic Anime Boston 2010 (that she dubbed "Nazi-Con") cosplayers; Puel referring to herself as "Fandom Educator" then calling the already polemic dub and its fans "racist" and having to backpedal after being harshly called out; and the three monitoring what other people say about the fic online to berate/harrass said critics and tell them not to do it in any way they don't want these people to) don't exactly help their cases. At least Puella has admitted that some of their most notorious actions weren't stellar, but if someone throws shit in such a notorious way, people will never forget it..

Hungary may have crossed it for some readers, losing the sympathy points from the first incident when she coaches Liechtenstein to become Prussia's lover alongside her, so they can get benefits from it. Yes, a rape victim teaches another into giving sexual pleasureto their common rapist. Others may consider it more of a mere survival strategy brought by the harsh circumstances both of them are caught in, or as much a Kick the Dog moment.

Double squick: Hungary, who ALSO was raped by Prussia, coaches poor Liechtenstein on how to make sure she gets something out of Prussia's attention... via sex. Yes, a rape victim trains another into giving sexual pleasure to their common rapist. Doesn't matter if there were some "reasons" behind that, it's still ridiculously cruel and contrived. (And Out of Character as well as offensive.)

Hungary and Liechtenstein. The two more important female nations in the AHEW universe. They BOTH end up brutally raped by Prussia, who does this to show off his power over everyone, and then the two decide to use sex as weapon against him.. Needless to say, this is one of the biggest points of contention among fans and anti-fans.

In addition to having Hungary chickified to have her under the thumb of Nazi Prussia, it's really bad to see that one of Prussia's specific reasons to have her tortured and raped is to break Austria. Yes, a woman's rape and torture is being used as a plot device destined to break a man's mind and heart. Sheeesh.

The whole "Prussia is the Naziest Nazi that has ever Nazied and horribly (insert: abuses/rapes/manipulates/tortures/kills/etc.) whoever is in his way" deal. While the Nazi Germany crimes should never be ignored, it's very creepy to see a nation that was Nazi-dominated after Germany fell to National-Socialism, that actually resisted the Nazi takeover and was the home to more than one resistance movement (eg. Operation Valkyrie)... getting reduced to a blood-thirsty, rape-happy, batshit insane Nazi caricature. In a fic that is supposed to be "closer to history" and "able to go where canon doesn't dare to".

Anon commenter 1: "I especially "love" how the authors and their whiteknights were all like "we're fixing the inaccuracy and problematicness of hetalia canon!" when no, they weren't. They were just making it innacurate and problematic in a way that was over-the-top grimdark and also really rapey. Noooo thanks."

Anon commenter 2: "Problematizing a Western-centric view of world history by... making the Western nations more fucked up, China more victimized, and continuing to ignore the rest of the world? ehhh no."

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